An important mission of the Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science on Youth and Young Adults (henceforth known as the Center) is to promote the development of innovative and ambitious interdisciplinary research in tobacco regulatory science that will ultimately advance knowledge in this field. We also seek to promote the development of scholars in tobacco regulatory science relevant to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulatory authority, and specific to youth and young adults. Our research focuses on these age groups and the epidemiology oftobacco use; marketing of existing and emerging tobacco products, including flavored products; and communication about risks of these products. The Development and Pilot Core (DPC) plays an important role in fulfilling the Center's mission, and complements the activities ofthe other cores. The DPC will provide a formal structure for conceiving, vetting, evaluating, and implementing developmental and pilot research projects that will explore new ideas, methods, and collaborations. The DPC seeks to allow exploration of innovative ideas and novel directions, especially those that arise from the progression ofthe Center's research projects, new developments in tolDacco products and marketing, or those that take advantage of new collaborative research opportunities. We chose to elevate our development and pilot program to the level of a Core because of the rapidly evolving nature of the tobacco regulatory science field and the prior experience ofthe Core's Director in leading such an effort.